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Wounded Warrior Project spends lavishly on itself, ex-employees say

 
Jesse Longoria, a former Marine who was fired from the Wounded Warrior Project in 2012, hangs with his son Noah in Texas. Longoria took issue with how the agency spent money. “I knew where the money was going,” he said. “It seemed to me like it was a big lie.”
Jesse Longoria, a former Marine who was fired from the Wounded Warrior Project in 2012, hangs with his son Noah in Texas. Longoria took issue with how the agency spent money. “I knew where the money was going,” he said. “It seemed to me like it was a big lie.”
Published Jan. 28, 2016

JACKSONVILLE

Since its inception in 2003, the Wounded Warrior Project has evolved into a fundraising giant, taking in more than $372 million in 2015 alone.

It contributes millions to smaller veterans groups. And it has become a brand name, its logo emblazoned on sneakers and television commercials.

But in its swift rise, it has also embraced aggressive styles of fundraising, marketing and personnel management that have caused many current and former employees to question whether it has drifted from its original mission.

It has spent millions a year on travel, dinners, hotels and conferences that often seemed more lavish than appropriate, more than four dozen current and former employees said in interviews.

The organization has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years on public relations and lobbying campaigns to deflect criticism of its spending.

Some of its own employees have criticized it, too. During five years with the Wounded Warrior Project, William Chick, a former supervisor, said, "It slowly had less focus on veterans and more on raising money and protecting the organization."